New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced the proposed plan for a permanent water source to address perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination in the village of Hoosick Falls. As part of New York State’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that residents in the Hoosick Falls Water District have access to clean and reliable drinking water, DEC’s Proposed Remedial Action Plan (PRAP) incorporates findings from the recently completed Municipal Water Supply Study and the PRAP recommends the use of a new groundwater source with a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter. 

“New York State is committed to ensuring the village of Hoosick Falls has a long-term drinking water supply that is clean and meets the community’s needs,” Commissioner Seggos said. “Since day one, DEC has relied on data and science to determine the actions we take and the decisions we make. And perhaps of equal importance, we’ve relied on leadership from community advocates and officials to ensure the proposed solution works for the people of Hoosick Falls. I want to thank Mayor Rob Allen and the members of the Hoosick Area Community Participation Work Group for their assistance throughout this process. We encourage the community to review the plan released today and share feedback on the proposal and we look forward to continuing to work together.” 

As part of the State’s actions to advance a comprehensive cleanup and hold the responsible parties accountable, DEC compelled Saint-Gobain and Honeywell International Corp., to undertake a detailed study to evaluate potential options for a clean and reliable drinking water source for the Hoosick Falls Water District. After review of the study, which details five water supply options, and careful consideration of comments received from the public, DEC developed the PRAP in consultation with the Department of Health (DOH). The PRAP includes a new groundwater source from the LaCroix and Wysocki wells, with GAC water treatment. The PRAP and related documents, as well as documents related to the McCaffrey Street site and the State Superfund Program, are available on the DECinfo Locator at https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/DecDocs/442046/.

The PRAP includes:   

• Developing two new groundwater supply wells. Existing test wells south of Hoosick Falls will be converted to production wells;
• Retaining one existing village well. This third well is required to provide redundancy in the case of an outage of the primary wells;
• Constructing a water transmission line from the new wells to the village water treatment plant along public rights of way;
• Continued operation of the public water supply treatment plant to remove naturally occurring elements, and ensure disinfection and distribution to meet applicable water supply requirements; and
• Retaining the existing GAC treatment system to ensure removal of ambient organic compounds. 

After PFOA contamination was confirmed in the village of Hoosick Falls’ drinking water supply in 2016, under DEC oversight, Saint-Gobain installed a GAC treatment system at the village water treatment plant to eliminate the community’s exposure to this contamination. The GAC treatment system removes the PFOA and other per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) from the drinking water supply. 

DEC works closely with DOH to provide Hoosick area residents with information and updates regarding ongoing remediation efforts. In addition, DEC and DOH facilitated the creation of the Hoosick Area Community Participation Work Group (CPWG), which provides a forum for the greater Hoosick area community to discuss the progress of the PFOA cleanup and options for the municipal water supply. The CPWG also gives directly impacted residents an avenue to request and provide information, opinions, and perspectives on the projects. 

The PRAP is available to the public for review. DEC will be accepting public comments on the PRAP through June 4, 2021. Comments can be submitted by mail to Ian Beilby, Project Engineer, NYS DEC, 625 Broadway, Albany NY, 12233-7013, or by email to hoosickwatersupply@dec.ny.gov. In addition, DEC is holding a virtual public meeting/presentation on May 13 to provide the public with an opportunity to learn more about the PRAP, ask questions, and provide comments. For additional information about the PRAP and additional ongoing efforts underway to ensure the protection of public health and the environment, visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/108791.html.